Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder

Published October 1, 2022. Updated October 2, 2022

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Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder – A rich and creamy soup made with tender rotisserie chicken, hearty potatoes, flavorful peppers, sweet corn and crisp bacon finish. Itā€™s a fall staple!

Chicken corn chowder in a serving bowl with oyster crackers to the side.

Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder

This is the coziest of soups! Itā€™s loaded to the max with delicious, fresh ingredients and itā€™s that creamy broth and salty bacon that will keep you craving more.

It has a handy shortcut of pre-cooked chicken, which can be from a rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken.

From there itā€™s just a bit of chopping, sautĆ©ing and allowing enough time on the stovetop to simmer to perfection.

Serve it with cornbread or 1-hour dinner rolls for an ideally comforting meal.

Ingredients for chicken corn chowder soup.

Chicken Corn Chowder Soup Recipe Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breasts or thighs)
  • 8 slices cooked bacon, chopped
  • 1/4 cup butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 1/4 cups)
  • 1 – 2Ā jalapeƱos, seeds and ribs removed for less heat if desired, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 medium (22 oz) russet potatoes, peeled and chopped slightly less than 1/2-inch thick (3 cups)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt andĀ black pepper, to taste
  • 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half
    Collage of photos showing how to make creamy chicken corn chowder on the stovetop.

How to Make Chicken Corn Chowder

  • In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, onions, jalapenos and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.
  • Add garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour, and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly.
  • While stirring, slowly pour in chicken broth. Add potatoes, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
  • Add in cooked chicken, corn and half and half and simmer, uncovered 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
  • Serve warm topped with cooked bacon and optional green onions and cheese.

 

Close up photo of creamy chicken corn chowder in a pot.

Possible Substitutes and Variations

  • Alternate potatoes: Red potatoes or Yukons would work here as well. The soup just wonā€™t be quite as thick since the potatoes arenā€™t as starchy.
  • Mild soup: If you arenā€™t a fan of heat you can omit the jalapeƱo.
  • Use up the bacon fat: Instead of using butter you can replace it with rendered bacon fat by cooking the bacon beforehand.
  • Sub ham for bacon: For a cheaper alternative you can finish the soup with chopped cooked ham instead of bacon. This is a great option if you have some left from a ham roast.
  • Herbs: For an herby soup you can mix in some thyme, rosemary and parsley.

 

 

Recommended Toppings

We like to serve this with:

  • Shredded cheddar cheese (medium or sharp)
  • Chopped green onions
  • Crushed tortilla chips or oyster crackers

Storage

  • It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container up to 3 days.
  • Freezing this soup isnā€™t recommended. The potatoes would become mushy and broth would end up separated and thinned.

Two servings of chicken corn chowder in red bowls sitting over a green cloth on a marble surface.

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Chicken corn chowder in a serving bowl with oyster crackers to the side.
4.95 from 60 votes

Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder

This chowder will quickly become a go-to recipe! It's loaded with chicken, veggies and rich creamy broth. Delicious comfort food!
Servings: 3
Prep15 minutes
Cook40 minutes
Ready in: 55 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, onions, jalapenos and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.
  • Add garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour, and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly.
  • While stirring, slowly pour in chicken broth. Add potatoes, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring mixture to a simmer stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
  • Add in cooked chicken, corn and half and half and simmer, uncovered 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
  • Serve warm topped with cooked bacon and optional green onions and cheese.

Notes

  • *If cooking your own chicken begin with about 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs. You can cook it in the soup with the potatoes, just cook to 165 degrees in center.
  • Recipe makes about 14 cups.
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder
Amount Per Serving
Calories 497 Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 94mg31%
Sodium 388mg17%
Potassium 1103mg32%
Carbohydrates 40g13%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 27g54%
Vitamin A 1090IU22%
Vitamin C 32.9mg40%
Calcium 88mg9%
Iron 2.3mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.
Photos updated Oct 2022. Recipe adapted with some changes from BHG

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245 Comments

  • Brook

    Loved this recipe!! I substituted heavy whipping cream(1 cup) instead of Half and half. Also kicked up the heat w some crushed red pepper. Enjoy!!

    • Jeanette

      Instead of half and half I used heavy cream and kicked it up a notch with a little cayenne pepper.

  • Kay Hart

    I love this recipe but trying to figure out the nutritional information has me confused. What is one serving size? I see that for one serving it has x, y, z values, but can’t seem to find the serving size amount.
    Thanks!

  • Cindy

    Love this recipe! I have made about 5x now and everyone loves! Thank you!

  • Betty

    I skip the bacon and add red, green, and yellow bell peppers, but make this nearly to the T and my family loves it. When I first told them we were having chicken corn chowder they balked so now we call it Chicken Cornfetti and itā€™s the most requested meal I make!

  • Don Chewdle

    Right below the ingredient list was a vomit-inducing ad showing a disgusting surgery. Could not even stomach reading the recipe as the ad quite literally made me gag and throw up in my mouth. You might wanna contact your ad services and tell them to pull that particular ad.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Iā€™m truly sorry about that! We do our best to prohibit ads such as those but every now and then they sneak through. We will look into this further, thanks for your feedback!

  • Tandra BrownSylvia

    This recipe was excellent. I skipped the bacon and jalapeno. I used a fresh fire roasted corn and peppers medley that I found at the grocery store. I also added white beans.

    • Brittney Hemingway

      I have to be honest… this was a strange combination of flavors. The bacon, cream, and corn made it edible but… no one in the family really enjoyed it. I was skeptical since the ingredients were an unusual combination for a chicken corn chowder, but bc of the reviews i went for it. I even deboned chicken smoked on the traeger and used the bones to make a good broth and topped the soup with really good quality bacon… but it was just.. weird. Sorry. I almost never leave reviews let alone bag ones but.. this was not a great recipe at all.

      • Jaclyn

        Jaclyn Bell

        Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. I wonder if it could be the smoked chicken that’s not a welcomed flavor here.

      • Mike

        I have made this several times without the peppers. Fam dont like them. Used smoked chicken and stock. Didnt care for it at all. Non smoked, it was a hit. Just sayin. Give it another try maybe.

        • Alice

          My family loves this recipe. Sometimes we make it with chicken and other times we use crab instead. Both are delicious. Thanks for the recipe !!